Digital BW, The Print

> From: Ernst Dinkla <E.Dinkla@...>

> 
> I have changed an HP pen plotter to drive the SpectroCam. Will
> put the pros and cons of that on my website one day.
> 

> 
> Making a longer ruler would work then or has it a general
> limitation in total patch number reading but not that limit in
> actual profile creation ?

Not sure but from what I see it is a row number limitation.  Easy to test by
making different reference files in a text editor and trying them.  You'd
have to reformulate the tiff file but that's easy with Colorlab.

At any rate the question is moot with MeasureTool available. (You don't need
to have a dongle to use it to read a target.)
> 
> Colorport has the usual restriction on profile distribution
> (but it can't make a profile itself) but there's an other
> alinea that says: Restrictions.  In addition to other
> restrictions set forth in this Agreement, You may not (a) use,
> copy, modify or distribute the Software (electronically or
> otherwise) or any copy, adaptation, transcription or merged
> portion thereof except as expressly authorized under this
> Agreement; (b) use the Software for the benefit of third
> parties in a commercial, retail, service bureau or similar
> enterprise, except as permitted under this Agreement;
> 
> The last could be interpreted as "lay-outs created with it can
> not be distributed (commercially)". I get the impression they
> just copied the license from another piece of software as
> there are some contradictions between the text and how
> Colorport is distributed.
> 

GM's Colorlab has no restrictions at all.  It doesn't make profiles but,
amongst other things, it generates tiff targets from reference files
(created with a simple text editor).  I doubt anyone cares if you make and
circulate a new target/ref file - that's not where the "juice" is. Bill
Atkinson's 918 target eventually became something of an industry standard.
There also isn't any "juice" in the measurement data - on its own it's
useless.  The "juice" is in the algorithms that take that data and generate
profiles, ie the gamut mapping.